DAT Natural Sciences case studies
DAT Natural Sciences · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Dental Admission Test (DAT) is the standardized exam that dental schools use as one component of their admissions process. According to the American Dental Association, the DAT is accepted by all U.S. dental schools and select dental schools in Canada, and it is designed to give dental education programs a means to assess an applicant's potential for success. All dental schools require applicants to take the DAT as part of admission, though each school applies its own criteria when weighing results. The DAT Natural Sciences case studies are 5 cases and about 2,623 words.
1Tyrosinase inhibition with a drifting pH
During a biochemistry lab, a student measures mushroom tyrosinase activity with L-DOPA as substrate at 25 °C in 50 mM phosphate buffer, nominal pH 6.8. A 1.0 mL reaction contains 0.20 µg enzyme and substrate concentrations from 0.05 to 2.0 mM.
547 words, about 3 min2Extraction order for an amine, an acid, and a phenol
An organic chemistry student has 100 mL of diethyl ether containing 0.10 mol aniline (conjugate acid pKa 4.6), 0.10 mol benzoic acid (pKa 4.2), and 0.10 mol p-cresol (4-methylphenol, pKa 10.3). The student wants to isolate all three solids.
546 words, about 3 min3Paper folding with two punches
A square sheet of paper measures 8.0 cm on each side. The sheet is folded once by bringing the top edge down onto the bottom edge, then folded again by bringing the left edge right onto the right edge, producing a 4.0 cm × 4.0 cm packet.
584 words, about 3 min4Evaluating a sleep-therapy abstract
A pre-dental student is reading a research abstract for a journal club. The abstract reports: 'In a randomized trial, 240 adults with chronic insomnia were assigned to 6 weeks of either guided sleep restriction therapy (SRT) or sleep hygiene education (SHE).
477 words, about 2 min5Rapid antigen testing in two prevalence groups
A community clinic evaluates a new rapid antigen test for a respiratory virus. In a validation study, the test had sensitivity 0.85 and specificity 0.92.
469 words, about 2 min